Poor pit stops slow down Kevin Harvick at Darlington
— -- DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Kevin Harvick had the top car throughout the Southern 500, but far from the top pit crew.
Two poor pit stops cost Harvick track position with the second one -- from a possible air wrench malfunction -- sending him back to 12th with 84 laps to go Sunday night at Darlington Raceway.
Harvick attempted to rally but couldn't finish it off, having to settle for second in a race where he led 214 of the 367 laps.
"I'm over being a cheerleader," Harvick said. "Those guys get paid a lot of money to perform on pit road, and cheerleading hasn't really been working.
"You've got to get after it on pit road and do your job."
At big organizations such as Stewart-Haas Racing, the pit crews are determined by management beyond even the crew chief's control. The Harvick pit crew has had one change this year, at the front tire changer spot.
In his 2014 championship season, Harvick got the pit crew that Tony Stewart had been using all year -- and won the 2011 title with -- for the final 10 Chase for the Sprint Cup races. Three of the six members of that championship-winning pit crew remain with Harvick: front tire carrier Todd Darkuloich, rear tire changer Daniel Smith and rear tire carrier Mike Morneau.
But right now, Harvick says he feels he doesn't have a championship pit crew.
"We have championship cars and we're just mediocre on pit road," Harvick said. "It's kind of been that way for a few years, and they've moved some things around, but it just seems like it's just week after week after week.
"You have a couple good weeks here and there and every once in a while you just put together a day, but they just can't put together a whole day on pit road right now."
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